Companies must submit an application to explore on these lands, which, unlike for oil and gas leases, will be subjected to additional environmental reviews before final approval. Commercial leases would be considered only if certain conditions are met.

Questions about the water needed for such projects still remain. In an October 2010 report, the Government Accountability Office warned that large-scale commercial development of oil shale and tar sands in the Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming would use a significant amount of water, but that the amount hinges on the type of technology used, the size of the industry and the supply of water, which is not fully known.

Laos Dam
Responding to a question about the Xayaburi dam, a controversial hydroelectric project on the Lower Mekong River that the Lao government has unilaterally approved, the State Department said that it hopes Laos will continue to work with its neighbors.

“While these are sovereign development decisions, we are concerned that construction is proceeding before impact studies have been completed,” department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Alaska Dam Update
The deadline to comment on a proposed study plan for a large hydroelectric project in south-central Alaska is November 14. Plans for the Susitna-Watana project include a dam that would be the largest built in the U.S. since the 1960s. A revised study plan will be filed with federal regulators in December, when a second opportunity to comment will open.

Coal Ash Update
Nearly four years after a coal ash spill that choked streams and released toxic metals and chemicals into the water and soil, the Tennessee Valley Authority, an electric company owned by the federal government, will let nature do most of the remaining restoration work, according to a plan submitted last week. Comments are being accepted through December 8. For more information on the spill, visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s monitoring website.

Climate Hearing, Please
After Superstorm Sandy, ranking Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to the Republican committee chair requesting a hearing on climate change during the lame duck session.

River Restoration Grants
A partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the conservation group American Rivers is accepting applications for river restoration projects. The deadline is December 7 and the maximum grant request is $US150,000.